Link Roundup January 2025

[wepon]

The Militia and the Mole

Federal prosecutors have convicted more than 1,000 people for their role in Jan. 6. Key militia captains were sent to prison for a decade or more. But that did not quash the allure that militias hold for a broad swath of Americans. Now President-elect Donald Trump has promised to pardon Jan. 6 rioters when he returns to the White House. Experts warn that such a move could trigger a renaissance for militant extremists, sending them an unprecedented message of protection and support — and making it all the more urgent to understand them.

Lawmakers brace for Trump’s promised Jan. 6 pardons. Some are urging restraint

The fourth anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has a new focus as lawmakers brace for the prospect that President-elect Donald Trump may soon pardon many of the more than 1,500 people charged with crimes for their actions related to the riot. Trump said he would issue pardons to rioters on “Day 1” of his presidency, which begins Jan. 20. “Most likely, I’ll do it very quickly,” he said recently on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He added that “those people have suffered long and hard. And there may be some exceptions to it. I have to look. But, you know, if somebody was radical, crazy.”

Five concerning truths about Richmond’s public water system: 2022 EPA report

According to the EPA, the water system — at the time of the 2022 inspection — did not perform emergency scenario planning exercises for crisis events like large-scale power failures, contaminations or any other issue that would impact production. The first of those is what took out Richmond’s city water system on Monday, Jan. 6, leading to a widespread water crisis.

Bulldozers kill man in tent in Atlanta clearing homeless camp near MLK’s church

The death of Cornelius Taylor on Thursday afternoon resulted from an effort to reduce the visibility of people without shelter near the city’s historic Ebenezer Baptist church as an accommodation for crowds expected in the area to celebrate King this weekend and on Monday, the federal holiday dedicated to the civil rights leader’s life and legacy. Taylor’s death has infuriated homelessness advocates and prompted a round of soul searching among city leaders.

Trump illegal migrant arrests to start on day one

Raids to detain and deport migrants living in the US without permission are set to begin on the first full day of President-elect Donald Trump's new administration, sources have told the BBC's US partner CBS.

Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes at inauguration rally

As the crowd roared, Musk turned and saluted again, his arm and hand slightly lower. “My heart goes out to you,” Musk said, striking himself on the chest again. “It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured. Thanks to you. We’re gonna have safe cities, finally safe cities. Secure borders, sensible spending. Basic stuff. And we’re gonna take ‘Doge’ to Mars.”

‘I Am Not Going to Apologize’: The Bishop Who Confronted Trump Speaks Out

The real people who are in danger are those who are fearful of being deported. The real people who are in danger are the young people who feel they cannot be themselves and be safe and who are prone to all kinds of both external attacks and suicidal responses to them. So I think we should keep our eyes on the people who are really vulnerable in our society. I have a lot of support and a lot of safety around me, so no, I'm not feeling personally at risk. Although people have said they do wish me dead, and that's a little heartbreaking. It was a pretty mild sermon. It certainly wasn't a fire and brimstone sermon. It was as respectful and as universal as I could with the exception of making someone who has been entrusted with such enormous influence and power to have mercy on those who are most vulnerable.

Thailand makes hormone therapy free for trans people just after legalizing marriage equality

Discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation has been illegal in Thailand since 2015, but transgender Thais have no legal avenue to change their gender on official documents. That resulted last week in many marriages between transgender women and cisgender men that were officially documented as same-sex unions between men.

Egg prices are soaring. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon

Cage-free egg laws in 10 states may also be responsible for some supply disruptions and price increases. The laws set minimum space for chickens or cage-free requirements for egg-laying hens. They’ve already gone into effect in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan. At a Target in Chicago on Monday, a dozen large conventional eggs cost $4.49 but a dozen large cage-free eggs were selling for $6.19.

Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug use

The committee began its review of Gaetz in April 2021 and deferred its work in response to a Justice Department request. It renewed its work shortly after Gaetz announced that the Justice Department had ended a sex trafficking investigation without filing any charges against him.

FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims Trump made at inaugural events

In his first address after being sworn in on Monday, President Donald Trump repeated several false and misleading statements that he made during his campaign. They included claims about immigration, the economy, electric vehicles and the Panama Canal. In remarks later at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, he issued a number of other false claims, including one that distorts pardons made by President Joe Biden as he left office. Here’s a look at the facts.

What Trump has done since taking power

A two-page memo from the Office of Management and Budget and sent to government agencies ordered a pause to all grants and loans until mid-February, to ensure all programmes match the administration's agenda. The action is now on hold.

Trump pardons roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack

Trump commuted the sentences of individuals associated with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, who were convicted of seditious conspiracy. He then issued "a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021," a category that included people who assaulted law enforcement officers.

A federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s executive order redefining birthright citizenship

Thursday’s decision prevents the Trump administration from taking steps to implement the executive order for 14 days. In the meantime, the parties will submit further arguments about the merits of Trump’s order. Coughenour scheduled a hearing on Feb. 6 to decide whether to block it long term as the case proceeds.

Trump signs orders ending diversity programs; federal DEI staffers being placed on leave

Tuesday's order also goes beyond just federal agencies, and directs the attorney general within 120 days to submit "recommendations for enforcing Federal civil-rights laws and taking other appropriate measures to encourage the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI." Mr. Trump is also directing the attorney general to create a plan to deter the private sector from adopting or continuing DEI programs. "As a part of this plan, each agency shall identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations or associations, foundations with assets of 500 million dollars or more, State and local bar and medical associations, and institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars," Tuesday's order read.

Public schools try to protect undocumented students from Trump immigration raids

The Trump administration has removed restrictions that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting raids at so-called sensitive locations, including schools (as well as houses of worship and hospitals).

The Smithsonian's queer erasure of an AIDS artwork should alarm us all

Multiple articles point out how this "reinterpretation" of Felix's work started when David Zwirner and Andrea Rosen Gallery started co-representing the artist's estate in 2017. These articles point to a concerted effort by the Felix González-Torres Foundation to disassociate his work from AIDS and his queerness, both crucial factors in his work, under the guise of preserving the "ambiguity and multiplicity of meaning of Felix's work." The most referenced theory for this repositioning is that it attracts the upper echelon of richer buyers and museums, who have historically been more interested in straight white male artists.

Why these doctors started writing medical 'prescriptions' for solar power

The program relies on 519 solar panels installed on the roof of one of the hospital's office buildings. Half of the energy generated by the panels helps power Boston Medical Center. The rest goes to patients who receive a monthly credit of about $50 on their utility bills.

The FDA Hasn’t Inspected This Drug Factory After 7 Recalls for the Same Flaw, 1 Potentially Deadly

The Mumbai-based company had four recalls in the previous eight months and would have two more in following months, all for the same dangerous tendency for pills to dissolve improperly. All the faulty medications were made at the same Glenmark factory in central India, government records show. Yet the FDA hasn’t stopped Glenmark from shipping pills from the factory to American patients. Nor did it send investigators to the Indian facility to figure out what had gone wrong. Its last inspection of the plant was more than four years ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic.